#venusexpress — Public Fediverse posts

Moving on to active volcanism, I was simplifying by only talking about temperature anomalies as a possible way to detect an eruption - there are other things we can look for in the data - but several lines of evidence do suggest active eruptions:

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Venus_Express_reboots_the_search_for_active_volcanoes_on_Venus

https://newsroom.usra.edu/scientists-find-evidence-that-venus-has-active-volcanoes/

https://phys.org/news/2020-01-scientists-evidence-venus-volcanoes.html

(all these are backed up by papers... see especially

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009281925000716

if you are able to access it)

#venus #venusexpress

Let's start with filling in gaps in Magellan altimetry. Obviously the Venus Express surface temperature maps are much lower resolution, so no big changes in our understanding of Venus. This ESA release shows the gaps (triangular crosshatched areas) overlaid on a map where colours are temperatures. Elevations are shown as contour lines and match temperatures quite well.

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2009/07/The_new_temperature_map_of_Venus_southern_hemisphere

My map adds a few names for orientation.
#venus #venusexpress

These surface maps have very low spatial resolution but they do show the surface. We can do two things with this. First, there are some gaps in Magellan radar altimetry which can be filled in. Second... what if the temperature of an area is not only related to elevation? A recent lava flow would show up as anomalously warm. It would look like a depression where no depression should be. Can we find any examples suggesting recent activity?
#venus #venusexpress

The two maps I show here show the region around Phoebe Regio, south of Beta Regio. The map at left is from here:

https://www.planetary.org/articles/1229

It shows temperatures at the surface of Venus observed by the VIRTIS instrument on Venus Express. Blue is cooler (high elevations), red is warmer and lower. At right is a Magellan radar global mosaic with elevation colour-coded (blue = low, red = high). Letters show corresponding locations.
#venus #venusexpress

Yes, we can. Here is that area on the map I posted earlier.

The infrared image from Venus Express - its VIRTIS instrument - is showing those large tectonic features (Dali Chasma, Diana Chasma). So we know this is possible. Tomorrow, a different view of a broader area.
#venus #venusexpress

It turns out that at some infrared wavelengths the surface of Venus can be detected through the clouds. Infrared - we associate it with temperature and indeed it seems we are seeing the surface temperature which is lower at high elevations. Here is an ESA release on the topic:

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2007/07/Thermal_and_radar_maps_of_Venus_surface_compared

The text suggests the image at right is a radar image of Venus but it is really a rendered image of the altimetry data. Can we find it on a map?
#venus #venusexpress

Now, you may say 'if you've seen one cloud you've seen them all', but are you prepared for this one?

https://sci.esa.int/web/venus-express/-/48598-the-southern-polar-vortex-on-venus

I have a colonoscopy video too. I hope I posted the right one.

Yes, I think I did. The south polar vortex... very weird. You wouldn't want to fall in. But enough about clouds. Can we see through them without using radar? We'll see tomorrow.
#venus #venusexpress

From a mission which might fly eventually to one that has already been successful - Europe's Venus Express. This was an atmosphere mission, and I have not said much about the atmosphere of Venus because I am primarily a surface guy. But atmospheres are important too... and Venus Express did give us a glimpse of the surface. Here is a link to a cloud image:

https://sci.esa.int/web/venus-express/-/51938-venus-cloud-tops

and there are others here:

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Missions/Venus_Express/(result_type)/images
#venus #venusexpress

Introduction: space plasma physicist here, at the Space Research Insitute (IWF) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) working on #Galileo (Jupiter), #Cluster, #VenusExpress, #Rosetta, #BepiColombo, #JUICE, #CometInterceptor, #HeavyMetal. Main interest is ULF waves in space plasmas.